Civil Society Coordinating Group for the Global Financing Facility

Terms of Reference Updated October 2018

Table of Contents

1. Background............................................................................................................................................................................. 2

2. Purpose ................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

3. Objectives ............................................................................................................................................................................... 2

4. Roles & Responsibilities ....................................................................................................................................................... 3

Figure 1. Visual Representation of Roles and Responsibilities....................................................................................... 3

a) Members ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Criterion for selecting Coordinating Group members ..................................................................................................... 3

Responsibilities of working group members ..................................................................................................................... 4

b) Steering Committee ........................................................................................................................................................ 4

Responsibilities of the Steering Committee members .................................................................................................... 4

Decision-making ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Criterion for selecting Steering Committee members .................................................................................................... 5

c) Coordinator ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6

d) Working Groups ............................................................................................................................................................... 6

e) CS Country Focal Points .................................................................................................................................................. 7

f) CS Investors Group Representatives ............................................................................................................................ 7

5. Working modalities................................................................................................................................................................ 8

Meetings....................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

6. Accountability ......................................................................................................................................................................... 9

7. Dependencies ......................................................................................................................................................................... 9

CSO members of GFF Multi -stakeholder Country Platforms.......................................................................................... 9

Relationship with UHC 2030...............................................................................................................................................10

Relationship with IG Members ..........................................................................................................................................10

Relationship with the GFF Secretariat ..............................................................................................................................10

Relationship with PMNCH ..................................................................................................................................................10

8. Term........................................................................................................................................................................................10

Annex 1. Background documents ...............................................................................................................................................11

Annex 2. Working Group Membership Criteria........................................................................................................................11

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1. Background The Global Financing Facility in support of Every Woman, Every Child (GFF), launched in July 2015 is a

country-driven financing partnership that brings together stakeholders in sexual, reproductive,

maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (SRMNCAH)under national government leadership. The

GFF is intended to provide smart, scaled and sustainable financing to accelerate efforts to end preventable maternal, newborn, child and adolescent deaths by 2030.

Meaningful engagement of civil society1(CS) in the SRMNCAH country platforms responsible for driving

GFF investment cases and implementation is critical for achieving the GFF vision of ending preventable

maternal, newborn, child and adolescent deaths and addressing equity gaps. However, systematic engagement of CS in GFF processes at the country level has continued ary across GFF countries.

A November 2015 meeting of civil society representatives working on the GFF called for the setup of a

global CS coordinating group.This group is designed to bring together CS actors working on the GFF, to

align their efforts to meet the needs of CS in GFF focus countries. This TOR responds to that call, and

structures the CS Coordinating Group to accommodate for CS’s diversity of engagement in the GFF , at

the country level, with the GFF Secretariat, and with the Investor’s Group .

2. Purpose The overarching purpose of the CS Coordinating Group (CSCG)is to improve the health outcomes of

women, children, and adolescents by ensuring CS’s meaningful engagement in GFF processes both at

national and global levels.Civil society is meaningfully engaged in the GFF when the full breadth of their

skills and expertise can contribute to determining and achieving mutual goals and targets, including

those laid out by the GFF and GFF countries, the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and

Adolescents’ Health, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

3. Objectives The global CS Coordinating Group on the GFF is a group of CS at regional, global and national levels that

align their resources and actions to ensure meaningful engagement of CS in the GFF at the international

level, and to provide support to CS working in GFF countries. Specific objectives are:

1. Ensure that GFF policies and practices encourage CS engagement at the country level;

2. Equip CS working on the GFF at the country level with the information, resources and skills they

require to meaningfully participate in decision-making;

3. Document the state of CS engagement in the GFF (and its results) at the country level, and use

this documentation to inform global advocacy;

4. Ensure that CS speaks with a unified voice, representing CS stakeholders from diverse settings,

backgrounds and interests.

5. Share lessons learned and best practices with respect to the engagement and role of civil society

in the GFF, including planning, implementation, and accountability.

6. Provide support and guidance to the GFF CS small grants mechanism to ensure that best

practices are advanced, documented, shared within the CS community.

1 Defined as not-for-profit non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations and faith-based

organizations

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4. Roles & Responsibilities This section outlines the roles and responsibilities of CSCG members, the Steering Committee, the

Coordinator, Working Groups, CS Country Focal Points, and CS Investors Group Representatives towards achieving the stated objectives.

Figure 1. Visual Representation of Roles and Responsibilities

a) Members

Criterion for selecting Coordinating Group members The CSCG for the GFF is open to individual members of CS working on the GFF at the national, regional

and international levels. Membership is also open to CS working in non-GFF focus countries that are

interested to learn about the GFF. Potential members may be invited by existing members, or they may

express interest in joining the group. Interested parties should send a request for inclusion to Kadi

Toure at tourek@who.int and susannah.hurd@ghvisions.com

Member profiles include:

Global, regional and national organizations that have been substantially engaged around the

GFF;

CS Coordinating Group Membership

Steering Committee

Coordinator

Working Group A

Working Group B

CS Country Focal Points

CS IG Representatives

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A minimum of two representatives per GFF focus country is suggested to ensure broad

engagement and representation of country-level concerns. Where possible the representatives

should come from different CS constituencies (al liances, consultative groups, networks for

health-related financing and RMNCAH, among others).

Representatives from CS who are working on GAVI, GFATM, and other initiatives which are also

part of the GFF – to ensure alignment, the proposed representatives should be the constituency

leaders for relevant organizations to represent the interest of their communities.;

Individuals who are not currently working on the GFF, but may contribute specialized knowledge and experience to the membership and are interested to learn from the group.

Responsibilities of CSCG members Members are required to, at minimum, implement GFF related activities or act to support CS

engagement in GFF countries. These minimum requirements are waived for CS working in non-GFF focus

countries.

The core roles and responsibilities to be carried out by this group include:

Advocacy for CS priorities and interest. At the global level, the priority is opening opportunities for meaningful CS engagement in GFF multi-stakeholder platforms;

Supporting the CSO representatives to the GFF Investors Group (IG), and facilitating communication with broader CSOs (a two-way communication and feedback channel);

Promoting exchanges of information and experience between CS working in GFF countries; Consultation with a range of CS stakeholders and networks to ensure adequate representation of

diverse interests and perspectives, with special attention to those representing marginalized groups (e.g. youth groups, community-based organizations)to ensure the outflow of information from the coordination group to a broad set of actors;

Expanding civil society access to information on the GFF through various communication channels (i.e. webinars, calls, written materials and tools, among others);

Coordinating GFF related CS efforts to ensure efficient use of limited CS resources;

Serving as a pool of experts to work on various GFF related working groups and in support of the small grants mechanism;

Providing implementation and technical support for countries to implement GFF supported activities;

Promoting effective implementation of the Minimum Standards for Country Platforms;2

Disseminating the CS Engagement Strategythrough their networks and developing annual costed workplansto operationalize the CS engagement strategy, with leadership from CS Country Focal Points (see below);3

Mobilizing resources for civil society coordination and accountability activities at all levels.

b) Steering Committee

Responsibilities of the Steering Committee members

The Steering Committee leads the Global CS Coordinating Group for the GFF. The Steering Committee is

responsible for developing advocacy objectives and strategies, providing information to and soliciting 2Guidance Note: Inclusive Multi -stakeholder Country Platforms in Support of Every Woman Every Child 3GFF Civil Society Engagement Strategy

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feedback from the wider CSCG membership on key GFF developments and issues, fundraising, initiating

meetings, and leading engagement with the GFF Secretariat. They are also responsible for deciding on

the creation of any working groups (see below).

Decision-making

Decision-making at the Steering Committee is based on the majority perspective of steering committee

members who are present in meetings and calls. Items for discussion among the steering group are sent

ahead of any meetings. Anyone who is not present for a meeting or teleconference is invited to express

their views via email. Given the complexity of the call-in system, silence on any issue will be interpreted as agreement with the majority view expressed.

Criterion for selecting Steering Committee members The Steering Committee of the CS Coordinating Group is composed of 20-25 members as follows:

Steering Committee Member Selection Criterion 2 CS Representatives to the IG Membership is automatic once the representative has been

elected. The term is for two years.

2 Alternate CS Representatives to the IG Membership is automatic once the alternate representative has been elected. The term is for two years.

2-4 immediate past CS Representatives/Alternates to the IG

Membership is automatic once the representative/alternate steps off the IG; representatives and alternates have the option NOT to continue serving on the SC, though at least 2 must remain on for continuity. The term is for two years.

1 designated representative from PMNCH’s CSO Constituency, typically the Chair

Membership automatically reverts to the Chair of the NGO Constituency. If the Chair is unwilling or unable to be on the Steering Committee, the Chair can nominate a qualified designate. The term is ongoing.

1 designated representative from PMNCH’s Adolescent and Youth Constituency

Membership is determined by the Adolescent and Youth constituency of PMNCH, through a consultative process. The representative must be from a GFF country and currently engaged in the GFF in their country. The term is for one year.

1 focal point from the PMNCH Secretariat, usually the Coordinator of the CSCG

The focal point is designated by the PMNCH Secretariat based on relevant expertise and availability. The term is ongoing.

1 representative from the Host Organization for the Small Grants Mechanism

The focal point is designated by the Host Organization. The term is ongoing, as long as the Small Grants Mechanism is in operation.

6-7 country focal points

Country focal points will be selected in January of every year. From January 1-31st the Secretariat will collect the names of interested individuals, who will be asked to submit a 1 paragraph overview of their engagement on GFF in their country to be shared with Coordinating Group members. Emphasis will be given to individuals who are members of their GFF Country Platform, and on ensuring a balance of native Anglophone and Francophone speakers.

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If there are more than 6 candidates, the Secretariat will call membership to vote. The 6 candidates with the most votes will hold the seats. The term is for one year.

4-6 Technical support people

Support people will be selected in January of every year, and may include regional and global CSOs, consultants and/or other stakeholders who are significantly engaged in supporting civil society engagement in the GFF. From January 1-31st the Steering Committee coordinator will collect expressions of interest, who will be asked to submit a 1 paragraph overview of their demonstrated value-added to CS engagement in the GFF (globally or in focus countries). If there are more than 4 candidates, the Steering Committee will call membership to vote. The 4-6 candidates with the most votes will hold the seats. The term is for two years.

Steering Committee members are selected based on their support for and leadership in enhancing civil

society engagement in the GFF at global, regional, national, and sub-national levels. They are selected as

individuals, however country and organizational diversity will be taken into consideration, so as to

ensure a wide range of inputs and perspectives. Calls for expressions of interest will be advertised

widely through the CSCG and PMNCH NGO and AY constituencies, with global south and global north

organizations and individuals encouraged to apply; selection will be done by a sub-committee of the current Steering Committee.

If a current member leaves his/her organization for another, he/she can stay on a Steering Committee

member, provided he/she is still working on issues relevant to the GFF; if not, he/she can forfeit his/her position, and a new member may be selected by the Steering Committee to take the open slot.

c) Coordinator

The focal point from the PMNCH Secretariat provides coordination, administrative and technical support

to the Steering Committee and full membership. This includes scheduling meetings, developing

agendas, overseeing any consultative processes, and maintaining the list of members. The coordinator

facilitates stakeholder engagement, cross-learning, and knowledge sharing through direct-outreach to

CSCG members and potential members, webinars, written communications and briefing materials, and

mapping of CS engagement in GFF countries. The coordinator maintains records of critical documents

developed for and by CSOs to support their engagement in the GFF.

d) Working Groups When a specific objective of piece of work is required, the Steering Committee will determine if a

working group should be formed. When a working group is formed, a chair or co-chairs will be identified

with at least one chair being a representative of the Steering Committee, to facilitate information-

sharing and coordination with the Steering Committee. Membership criteria for CSCG members to join

working groups is outlined in Annex 2.

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Working Group chairs must solicit inputs from membership in making any significant decisions around

priorities or outputs. Steering Committee members (like all members) may join a working group, and

working groups must periodically (minimum quarterly) share products and progress updates with the Steering Committee for input, to ensure alignment with broader CS engagement support and efforts.

e) CS Country Focal Points

Civil Society Focal Points will be identified in GFF Countries to support CS engagement in the GFF at

country level, and to liaise with regional and global CS engagement efforts. Civil Society Focal Points

should be selected by each country’s civil society constituency through a transparent process; they

should also be well-connected to the GFF process and the multi-stakeholder country platform in their

country. A contact person (or persons) on the Steering Committee or CSCG will be assigned to each

country to support CS Country Focal Points. When a new focal point is identified, a Steering Committee

or another active member of the coordinating group will have a call with him/her to orient the new

member. Orientation includes sharing the priorities of the coordinating group; going over the terms of

reference, including roles and responsibilities of CS country focal points, and how the coordinating

group works; and hearing from the new CS focal point about how they have been engaged in the GFF and any opportunities or concerns that the coordinating group should prioritize.

Criteria and responsibilities of CS Country Focal Points include:

Leads or represents a national CSO coalition or working group tasked with supporting CS

engagement in the GFF

Liaises with the Ministry of Health, GFF Country Liaison Off icer, GFF Secretariat country focal

point, and other relevant stakeholders engaged in or supporting the multi -stakeholder country

platform in their country

Is familiar with key CS advocacy and engagement tools (including the CS Engagement Strategy

and Implementation Plan, and the Guidance Note on Multi-stakeholder Country Platforms) and

ensures that CSOs in their country are aware of and are utilizing these tools

Participates in the CSCG Google Group and Webinars; shares information from the CSCG and

other GFF countries with the CSO constituency in their country, including coalition or working

group members, and other CSOs interested in the GFF (with attention to grassroots CSOs and

youth groups)

Provides regular updates to the CSCG and Steering Committee about progress on the GFF and

CSO activities in their country, by posting in the Google Group, or directly emailing the Coordinator (tourek@who.intand susannah.hurd@ghvisions.com)

f) CS Investors Group Representatives

Civil society representatives on the Investors Group play a critical role in ensuring meaningful

engagement of civil society in all GFF processes and that civil society perspectives are captured in the content of the all of the work produced by the GFF. This includes:

Participating in the overall functions of the IG, representing the diverse voices of civil society.

Ensuring and supporting meaningful engagement of civil society in GFF processes, including

consultation with the broader constituency of civi l society.

Regular consultation and information sharing with CSOs through engagement in meetings and

calls of the Global CS Coordinating Group, sharing and soliciting relevant information and

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feedback via the CS Coordinating group google group, webinars for civil society before and after

each IG meeting, and other outreach to CSOs, as needed.

Enhancing communication and transparency around GFF processes, to ensure that all interested

civil society stakeholders are well-informed.

Promoting and facilitating alignment with civil society engagement efforts in other relevant

global initiatives and financing mechanisms (e.g. Gavi, Global Fund, UHC2030, SUN).

Holding regular (minimum quarterly) calls or meetings with the GFF Secretariat to address

challenges and opportunities for enhancing civil society engagement in the GFF.

The CS representatives should meet the following criteria:

Expertise in SRMNCAH – preference on the continuum of care

Experience in country planning and financing processes

Experience and expertise in development financing, including innovative financing

Ability to dedicate 10% time to the GFF and IG

Membership in other civil society networks and communities, e.g. Gavi, Global Fund, SUN, UHC2030, FP2020 etc.

There are two CS representatives, and two alternate CS representatives; one alternate representative will be reserved for a youth. Representatives serve a two-year term.

5. Working modalities The CS Coordinating Group on the GFF uses the following approaches to work:

Day to day communication among Coordinating Group membership, the Steering Committee,

and Working Groups takes place over email.

Membership-wide webinars are used to feed into the priorities of the CS Representatives to the

IG ahead of the Spring and Fall IG meetings; to debrief after an IG meeting; and for other topics,

as needed.

A Google Group is used for quarterly updates, and other information-sharing and cross-learning,

as opportunities and needs present themselves. All CS Coordinating Group members are

encouraged to use the Google Group to share information, tools, questions, and learnings.

Members will be in regular contact through email exchanges to advance the various action

areas. Coordinating group members will also be expected to have more regular exchange as

part of subgroups on specific areas of work identified in the section on role s and responsibilities.

The Africa Health Budget Network produces a periodic GFF newsletter on behalf of the CS

Coordinating Group. To receive the newsletter, please email: info@africahbn.org.

The Coordinating Group may commission (or call for) written analysis on pertinent topics underlying the CS engagement strategy to document CS experiences and advance objectives.

Meetings

The Steering Committee will meet bi-weekly through teleconferences or in person, and will be in regular contact through email exchanges.

An annual in-person meeting of CSO focal points from GFF countries (also members of the CS

Coordinating Group) will occur annually alongside the fall Investors Group meeting. The full group may

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convene face-to-face planning, learning, and strategy meetings alongside the IG meetings, UNGA, and

other moments when many members are gathered in one location.

6. Accountability All members are responsible for contributing to the success of the CS Coordinating Group. Country focal

points bring considerable value in communicating the realities in GFF focus countries, and driving the

priorities of the CS Coordination Group accordingly. The presence of county focal points on the Steering

Committee is designed to build-in accountability to ensure that country priorities and concerns are

embedded in the leadership team’s decision-making processes. However, any memberof the

Coordinating Group is encouraged to communicate concerns and opportunities to strengthen our work

(and the ways we work) by emailing tourek@who.intand susannah.hurd@ghvisions.com

7. Dependencies The work of the Coordinating Group depends upon the work of the GFF and existing bodies and initiatives. Specifically:

CSO members of GFF Multi-stakeholder Country Platforms

Meaningful engagement of CS in GFF country-level processes is critical for Coordinating Group to

achieve its goals. Members of the CS Coordinating Group are responsible for supporting and

encouraging CS working in GFF focus country to: (1) Know their rights to engage in the GFF; (2) Realize these rights; and (3) Progressively work towards the best practices (all outlined below).

The GFF Guidance on Multi-stakeholder Country Platforms and the CS Engagement Strategy requires

that CS be engaged in the following ways:

Participation: CS has more than one seat on GFF country platforms.

Representativeness: CS representatives are selected in a transparent manner, by their own self -

identified constituency. This might be done through an open call for interest, and a review of

applications/expressions of interest/nominations by a diverse steering group representing a

range of SRMNCAH CSOs.

Meaningful Engagement: CS representative(s) to the Country Platform will be active,

contributing members, with a range of responsibilities. This could include: providing technical

assistance; Supporting the implementation and monitoring of health sector plans; Representing

community and CSO voices and reporting back to civil society and communities; Supporting

resource mobilization efforts; Contributing to monitoring and accountability; and Ensuring adherence to the Minimum Standards for Country Platforms4

In addition, best practices that will enhance the effectiveness of CS participation include:

Consultation: CS representatives of country platforms should meaningfully consult with a wider

network of CS and community based organizations, and represent these views on the country

platform.

Transparency: CS representatives should share important information and documents with the

wider network of CS in a timely manner;

4 GFF Guidance Note on Country Platforms. January 2017. forthcoming

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Communications: CS representatives should channel important communications from the

global CS Coordinating group to the CS network, and vice versa; and from the Country Platform

to national SRMNCAH CSO coalitions/networks and the Global CS Coordinating Group, and vice

versa.

Synergies: At the country level, the same platform is often used for engaging in many global

and national processes. CS representatives should encourage synergies between the GFF and

other efforts such as UHC, GAVI, Global Fund, family planning Costed Implementation Plans,

etc. They should use existing CSO networks for disseminating GFF-related information and

resources. CS representatives should also encourage synergies with regional bodies. On the

African continent, engagement with regional bodies like the African Union, ECOWAS,

Ouagadougou Partnership, SADC and others should be encouraged as part of regional cost-effective knowledge management systems to increase the learning curve.

Relationship with UHC 2030

There are many similarities and potential synergies between CS working on the GFF and UHC2030. To

ensure coordination and prevent duplication of efforts, the UHC2030 Civil Soci ety Mechanism has

reserved a seat for civil society working on the GFF. The CS coordinating group on GFF will reciprocate, and reserve one seat for a CSO working on UHC2030.

Relationship with IG Members

Members who are based in the country of a government who sits on the IG are responsible for leading

advocacy with that member, or coordinating where there are multiple possible point people. The

Steering Committee will coordinate outreach to other members of the IG through the elected CS representatives and their alternates.

Relationship with the GFF Secretariat

The Steering Committee and individual members of the Coordinating Group will engage with the GFF

Secretariat for technical assistance, coordination and advocacy purposes as needed; and will ensure alignment with other GFF processes.

Relationship with PMNCH

The designated representative from PMNCH’s CSO Constituency, the focal point from the PMNCH

Secretariat, and members who are involved in PMNCH will ensure alignment with other PMNCH

processes.

8. Term

This Terms of Reference is effective from 1 May 2017 and continues throughout the lifetime of the GFF.

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Annex 1. Background documents Dennis, S. Civil Society Guide to the GFF. PAI, October 2016.

Available in English, French, and Portuguese

2018 addendum available in English and French Hurd S, Wilson R and Cody A. Civil Society Engagement in the Global Financing Facility: Analysis and Recommendations. Global Health Visions and Catalysts for Change. February 2016. Hurd S, and Dia M. Addendum to Civil Society Engagement in the GFF, February 2016 Report. Global Health Visions. January 2017. Guidance Note: Inclusive Multi-stakeholder Country Platforms in Support of Every Woman Every Child

Available in English and French GFF Civil Society Engagement Strategy (CSES)

Available in English and French GFF CSES Implementation Plan

Available in English and French GFF CSES adolescent and youth addendum DRAFT

Available in English and French

Annex 2. Working Group Membership Criteria

Members of GFF CSCG working groups:

Representatives of organizations or individuals leading or focused on issues related to the working group focus area (accountability, capacity building/country engagement, resource mobilization).

Must be able to commit to attending regular calls, at a cadence determined by the working group (no less than one 1-hour call per month, and no more than two 1-hour calls per month).

Must be able to contribute additional time for drafting and editing documents, case studies, tools, and other written resources; and/or providing direct 1:1 outreach to CSOs in GFF countries. An estimated commitment of 3-5 hours per month.

Must be comfortable and proficient communicating in English, with additional fluency in French highly desirable.*

In addition, each working group will consist of:

At least two youth representatives and/or representatives of youth organizations. No more than two representatives per organization; if an organization has two representatives on a

working group, one should be a “global” representative, and one should be a “country” representative.

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No more than 3 CSOs from the same GFF country. If more than 3 representatives from a country express interest in being part of a working group, the decision will default to the primary GFF CSO coalition in that country to select or nominate 3 working group participants through a transparent process.

CSCG members interested in joining a working group should submit a short statement of interest and

commitment (1-2 paragraphs) to the CSCG Coordinator

(tourek@who.intandsusannah.hurd@ghvisions.com), to be reviewed and approved by the Steering Committee and the chair(s) of the designated working group.

*At this time, due to resource constraints, working groups will conduct calls and information-sharing in

English. However, the Steering Committee is exploring ways to expand WGs to include other languages, with a particular focus on francophone countries and colleagues.